Geoffrey Keezer Quartet with special guest Joe Locke
Geoffrey Keezer, piano; Joe Locke, vibraphone; Ricardo Rodriguez, bass; Jonathan Blake, drums

Saturday, July 26 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $40 general | $20 students

Online:
By phone: 650.725.ARTS (2787); In Person: Stanford Ticket Office
For more information, go to our Ticketing Information Page

Program Notes

“Geoffrey possesses a refreshingly open-eared sensibility in the modern manner, and he has more than enough virtuosity and sheer musical wit and intelligence to weave all of his apparently disparate strands of influence into an original and compelling whole.” – Time Magazine

JazzTimes reviewer Harvey Sliders described pianist Geoffrey Keezer and vibraphonist Joe Locke as “so close in their musical philosophy that when one itches, the other scratches.” The musical rapport between these two adventurous improvisers has developed over the course of years of collaboration as a duet and as co-leaders of the Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group, which released the critically-acclaimed album Live in Seattle in 2006 on Origin music. Keezer, who started his career with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and has since worked with countless jazz legends, is an adventurous artist with eclectic influences and dazzling creativity. In addition to being a world-class jazz pianist, he has performed Gershwin with an orchestra, collaborated with Okinawan singer Yasukatsu Oshima, and formed the Afro-Peruvian group Àurea. Joe Locke also has a diverse musical background, having performed with artists as varied as Kenny Barron, the Beastie Boys, and Cecil Taylor. They will be joined by drummer Jonathan Blake and bassist Ricardo Rodriguez, both members of Locke’s newest group “Force of Four.”

INSIDE JAZZ:
Hamp and the Vibes
Speaker: Sonny Buxton
7 pm, free with concert ticket

Web Sites
Geoffrey Keezer
Joe Locke

Music Link

Q&A with Geoffrey Keezer

What is the first recording you remember hearing as a child?
There were several. My dad is a jazz drummer and had many great records. My favorites were Oscar Brown Jr.’s “Sin and Soul”, Chick Corea’s “The Leprechaun” and Weather Report’s “Black Market”.

Who is your favorite jazz musician under the age of 30?
My eight month old son Cameron.

What job would you have if you weren’t a jazz musician?
I would be a marine biologist and study cetaceans (dolphins and whales).

What’s your favorite food?
Anything my wife cooks.

What’s the most exotic place you’ve traveled to as a musician?
Iceland.

What’s the last book you’ve read?
“Non-Violent Communication” by Marshall Rosenberg.

If you could play with any other musician, living or dead (with whom you have not played), who would it be and why?
Wayne Shorter. I played with him once, in 1989 with Art Blakey, and have been craving a chance to play a gig with his quartet.

What’s your favorite tune?
“Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads. (My favorite bass line.)

Who is your greatest musical influence?
My parents.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have three recordings with you, what would they be?
Wayne Shorter’s “Atlantis”, Martha Argerich playing Ravel’s G Major Piano Concerto, and a recording of my baby and wife’s voices.

How much do you practice each week?
Nowhere near enough!

What hobbies do you have?
Yoga, hiking, swimming, rowing, gardening.

If you could be any other type of artist other than a jazz musician, what would you be and why?
A member of a successful rock band. Nothing beats playing loud exciting music for thousands of screaming fans.